Rama willing to be inoculated with Sinovac
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he is now willing to be vaccinated with the China-made vaccine Sinovac, which has now been granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Rama previously said in his statement of support to the country’s vaccination program that he is willing to be the first to be inoculated for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine so people would be encouraged to follow suit.
Read: Rama volunteers to be inoculated with Covid vaccine
But in his January 12, 2021 statement, he said that he is not willing to be inoculated by the vaccine from China because it was not approved by the FDA and the efficacy rate is only 50 percent.
According to the FDA, the Sinovac has an efficacy of 65.3 percent recorded in Indonesia and 91.2 percent in Turkey after the first dose.
However, it has a lower efficacy rate of 50.4 percent when used on healthcare workers exposed to Covid-19.
“No, I did not say that I don’t want to be vaccinated with Sinovac. I wanted to set an example to the people because it will be very difficult to convince the public to be vaccinated if we don’t set an example. If I want to be vaccinated with Sinovac, why not?” said Rama.
The vice mayor said the Sinovac is part of the initial negotiations done by the city government and will be among the four vaccines the city is planning to buy, including Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
Rama, who now oversees the vaccination program of the city albeit refusing to be called as a vaccine czar, said that the City Council will hold marathon sessions for the vaccine procurement with their target finalization of the procurement plan on March 16, 2021.
Should the vaccines arrive in the Philippines, Rama said they target a full preparation for the launch of the mass vaccination on April 2021.
For now, the City Council needs to decide which of the four vaccines will be the city’s choice for P500 million worth of doses. If they choose Sinovac, Rama said he will support it.
“Let’s give the vaccine a chance,” said the vice mayor.
/bmjo
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